The invention disclosed herein relates to the field of audiology. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and method for allowing people to test their hearing at home using conventional, commercially available audio systems such as compact disk players and headphones, and to a device for calibrating the level of the sounds presented to the headphones against a calibration tone of a predetermined decibel level.
Although audiometric equipment exists for testing hearing, the primary elements being audiometers (such as pure tone, speech, manual, automatic, etc.) and earphones, it is generally expensive and complex. As a result, audiometric equipment is generally available only in specialized audiometry clinics, and trained audiologists are required to operate the equipment, administer the tests, and evaluate the results. Additional information regarding existing audiometers and the procedures for accomplishing diagnostic hearing threshold measurement is available, among other places, in Davis, H. and Silverman, S. R., Hearing and Deafness, Chapter 7 (Holt, Rinehart and Winston 1970), American Speech-Language-Hearing Association ("ASHA") Guidelines for Manual Pure-Tone Threshold Audiometry (1977), and American National Standard Institute ("ANSI") Specification for Audiometers (1989), each of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application as background information.
Because audiometric equipment is generally available only in clinics, it is widely believed that as many as 80% of the approximately 22 million people who suffer from hearing loss in the U.S. have not had their hearing tested. Many people are reluctant to visit hearing clinics for a hearing test for several reasons, including the cost of the test, the time and inconvenience involved in scheduling an appointment and waiting for and undergoing the test, and privacy concerns.
Perhaps more importantly, hearing loss is often a gradual process which allows people time to adjust to their hearing loss without noticing any significant difference in their hearing capabilities. As a result, many people with hearing loss do not notice their hearing loss and are not aware of any need to have their hearing tested.
Given the widely recognized importance of good hearing and the prevalence of hearing impairment, there is a need for an inexpensive hearing test which would allow people to easily detect hearing loss and thus determine whether they should seek further testing or assistance. Just as thermometers and blood-pressure monitoring devices increase awareness and help people determine when they have a medical problem that needs attention, there is a need for a hearing test which people can administer in their homes and which would increase awareness about hearing and allow people to determine whether they or their family members have a hearing problem that should be evaluated by an audiologist.
Attempts have been made to do hearing screening by telephone, screening being, as compared to monitoring or diagnostic audiometry, a limited, simplified, pass-fail type test employing a tone at a single frequency. See, for example, Frank, T., Is telephone hearing screening a valid concept? The Hearing Journal, 42, 26-31 (1989); and Gardner, H, Rebuttal to the ASHA Committee Position Paper on telephone hearing screening testing, The Hearing Journal, 42, 31 (1989). Frank, 1989; Gardner, 1989). However, the problems in controlling the level and spectral quality of stimuli presented over telephone equipment have been serious enough to lead ASHA to the conclusion that "telephone hearing screening should be viewed with caution until its validity and efficacy are demonstrated" ASHA, Telephone hearing screening, Asha, 30, 53 (1988a, December).
Thus, there remains an unfilled need for a system and method for allowing people to test their hearing at home. To be effective and available to a wide range of people, the test should be usable with most conventional, commercially available audio equipment people have in their homes, such as audio players, personal computers, and headphones. In addition, the test should be inexpensive, accurate, and easy to use, administer, and score. The present invention provides a system and method having these and other advantages.